The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-27
PITCHED OVER \ PRECIPICE
\ Lady Falls 100 Feet and Aiights
t-nhurt IN h. SnnN

tnhurt The Snow.
CHICAGO, Jan. 2$.-Mrs. T. j. Towns
ley. the Chicago lady who was in the
stage coach that topPled down lode
pendent Pass. in Colorado, last month.
arrived IN this city yesterday. Mrs.
I TOwnsley says:
AT day break on Dec. rs | was awak-
ened at my hotel in LradviIle ard in
formed that the Aspen stage coach was
waiting for me. IL was bitter cold and
was showing so hard that the driver had
/ to pilot me to the coach. | had on a
heavy double-fold dress. a seaskIn
saCque. Buffalo robe pinned over my
shoulders, my head covered by a fur
cap, and my face euveIoped in a sba ri.
allowing an aperture for nv ewes. De-
spite all these projections | was fright
fully cold. The coach was drawn by
six horses and was on wheels. We We're
preceded bv the Grant coach on runners.
The road over Elk Mountain will admit
of hut "A single coach passing. At the
apex of the mountain the Grant coach
halted in a station blasted out of the
rock and allowed us to go ahead. Here
the descent began. The road at this
point runs at "A decline of II degrees.
The driver put his lock-chain to the
wheels, thus virtually converting them
into runners. The vehicle. despite these
precautions, aud by its own weight went
down at a frightful pace. We could
barely keep our seats. We bal anced our
selves as best we could. Running up
from the truck and through the box of
the coach was a perpendicular bar of
steele called the king pin l chung TO
this, and managed to keep myself right
SHE UP. Down the narrow path in the
side of the mountain we went with the
horses in "a mad gaIlOp to keep the coach
from running them down. We were
rounding Independence Pass when sud-
denly the driver cried:
Jump. jump for your
He never finished the sentence. He
had been holding the coach as near the
embankment as the narrow pass would
permit. Ahead of him we saw "A heavy
boulder tOVple and fall down the noun
tain side and into the path. This caused
him To make the cry of warning. The
obstruction was tut twenty yards ahead
of him. and II was beyond human power
to stay the impetus the coach had gotten
coming down the incline. | saw the
driver leap. Inside we all held on to the
kIng-pin. Dow n We went and in another
instant the forward wheels struck the
rock. The hind part of the coach was
thrown forward and outward, and the
king-pin snapped like reed. The box.
its side. and through the window ! fell
out. Less fortunate than myself. the
coach and my fellow tourists lodged in
rTevice on the side of the precipice some
1SO feet below the road. | was thrown
out with such force that / cleared this
Crag and kept on and down the full 400
feet 10 the bed of the canon and into a
bed OF snow. cutting my way into it, As
if II was water. head first.
The Granite coach Just 70 the rear of
las pulled into notch in the rocks. and
the driver and some VTOspe CtCrS got
out and sciimled down to where had
lodged. Armed with shoveis they began
to dig me out. and it j. curious To relate
that the only flesh wound 1 received was
made from the blade of a shovel which
pIuughed up a fur-ow IN my ankle when
they reached me. | was finally dug out
unconscious. ard to all appearances dead
RestOratives We're administered. and |
was taken up and carried to the toll
house at the head of the cliff. Here my
hands and limbs were rubbed. and nv
face slapped until nv cheeks were raw.
But all 10 no avail. | was black in the
face, and there was no visible reSpira
ton. | was left in the care of the toll
keeper and the Granite coach passengers.
while the two drivers started for Aspen.
thirteen miles distant, to summon surgi-
cal aid. one of the Tarty returned at
midnight with a doctor. In the mean
time | had revived. sustaining no other
in juTies than the cut inflicted on me bv
the shovel.